Privacy policy
Privacy notice
As data controllers, GPs have fair processing responsibilities under the Data Protection Act and GDPR law 2018. This means ensuring that your personal confidential data (PCD) is handled in ways that are safe, transparent and what you would reasonably expect. Please find document below.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and your information
The ICO recognises the unprecedented challenges the NHS and other health professionals are facing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The ICO also recognise that ‘Public bodies may require additional collection and sharing of personal data to protect against serious threats to public health.’
The Government have also taken action in respect of this and on 20th March 2020 the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care issued a notice under Regulation 3(4) of the Health Service (Control of Patient Information) Regulations 2002 requiring organisations such as GP Practices to use your information to help GP Practices and other healthcare organisations to respond to and deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Please note that this notice has now been revised and extended by a further notice from 29th July 2020 until 31st March 2021.
In order to look after your healthcare needs during this difficult time, we may urgently need to share your personal information, including medical records, with clinical and non clinical staff who belong to organisations that are permitted to use your information and need to use it to help deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. This could (amongst other measures) consist of either treating you or a member of your family and enable us and other healthcare organisations to monitor the disease, assess risk and manage the spread of the disease. Additionally, the use of your information is now required to support NHS Test and Trace.
Please be assured that we will only share information and health data that is necessary to meet yours and public healthcare needs.
The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has also stated that these measures are temporary and will expire on 31st March 2021 unless a further extension is required. Any further extension will be will be provided in writing and we will communicate the same to you.
Please also note that the data protection and electronic communication laws do not stop us from sending public health messages to you, either by phone, text or email as these messages are not direct marketing.
It may also be necessary, where the latest technology allows us to do so, to use your information and health data to facilitate digital consultations and diagnoses and we will always do this with your security in mind.
If you are concerned about how your information is being used, please contact our DPO using the contact details provided in this Privacy Notice.
How we look after your personal information during the Covid-19 pandemic when staff work from home.
In accordance with government guidance and in order to protect the health and safety of our staff during this difficult period we will be requiring staff to work from home.
This means that staff may have access to any necessary personal and/or medical information in order to look after your healthcare needs.
We would like to assure you that our staff will be subject to all relevant security procedures and policies of the Practice to ensure that any information is kept safe, secure and confidential at all times.
This website uses cookies
A cookie is a small file, typically of letters and numbers, downloaded on to a device (like your computer or smart phone) when you access certain websites.
Cookies allow a website to recognise a user’s device.
Some cookies help websites to remember choices you make (e.g. which language you prefer if you use the Google Translate feature). Analytical cookies are to help us measure the number of visitors to a website. The two types we use are ‘Session’ and ‘Persistent’ cookies. Some cookies are temporary and disappear when you close your web browser, others may remain on your computer for a set period of time.
We do not knowingly collect or intend to collect any personal information about you using cookies. We do not share your personal information with anyone.
What can I do to manage cookies on my devices?
Most web browsers allow some control of most cookies through the browser settings. To find out more about cookies, including how to see what cookies have been set and how to manage and delete them, visit www.allaboutcookies.org.
To opt out of being tracked by Google Analytics across all websites visit https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
If you are concerned about cookies and would like to ask further questions please do not hesitate to write to our
website developers – support@gpsurgery.net
Site search
Please DO NOT add any personally identifiable information – such as your name, NHS number, address or any other distinguishing detail – when using the site search function. The site search is intended to return information displayed on the website ONLY, and is not linked to our practice management system or your individual NHS records. Site search data is recorded in our analytics and cannot be deleted.